Kia ora! I’m Alison Clarke (usually called Ali), a New Zealand historian living the simple life on the beautiful Otago Peninsula, Ōtepoti (Dunedin). I retired (young!) in 2020 from the Hocken Collections, where I had worked in the archives for 17 years; previously I had been a nurse. I now do some voluntary work and pursue other interests.

You can find details of my history interests and links to my publications on the History interests and publications page of this blog. My other interests include degrowth and voluntary simplicity, transport policy, gardening, cooking, birds and reading. I love getting book recommendations, and share the love by posting occasionally about books I have enjoyed. Happy reading, and your comments on anything I write here are welcome.